pledge drive

Today (June 18, 2011) was the 26th anniversary of the Gallifreyan Embassy. Today we also recorded a Doctor Who: Podshock episode live over the net reviewing the spring 2011 series of Doctor Who. In the show we briefly touched upon the anniversary of the Gallifreyan Embassy and we were privileged enough to have a long time member and now a Podshock Supporting Subscriber call into the show, Stuart Natelson to share some of his memories with the organization.

In honour of Sylvester McCoyreturning to New York this month and the 25th anniversary of the Gallifreyan Embassy, we present you with this cut-down video of a WLIW pledge drive break from August 1987. At the time, like today, we had a new Doctor, the 7th Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, he along with the late Jon Pertwee and John Nathan-Turner, the then producer of Doctor Who are included in a pre-recorded interview segment in this 5th break of WLIW's Doctor Who marathon of The War Games. Eric Luskin of NJN conducts the interview.

A screenshot taken from the video of the Gallifreyan Embassy working the 5th pledge drive break during WLIW's marathon of Doctor Who: The War Games in August 1987. It contained pre-recorded interviews with Jon Pertwee, Sylvester McCoy, and John Nathan-Turner.

In August 1987, WLIW, a PBS station in Long Island, New York ran the epic Patrick Troughton 10 part story, The War Games as a marathon pledge drive. The Gallifreyan Embassy was there volunteering on the phones throughout the six hour event. We have already posted the first pledge break of the marathon, here are three more, starting with the 4th break (after episode 5, they skipped the break after episode 4) which includes a pre-recorded segment with the then new Doctor, Sylvester McCoy and producer John Nathan-Turner (with NJN's Eric Luskin). Sylvester talks about landing the role of Doctor here.

In the background can be seen Ken Deep of Doctor Who: Podshock among other Gallifreyan Embassy members, Beth, Tim, Monique, Pete, PJ, and others. This pledge break originally ran 17 minutes, but it is has been edited down to under 10 for YouTube.

The Gallifreyan Embassy volunteered at the WLIW pledge drives during their Doctor Who and other British sci-fi programming, this is from one the firsts sometime in early 1986. That is Ken Deep in the back (with the microphone of course)... also seen off to the far left is Pete "Bug" and in the foreground, Lady Katie and the "Anti-Doctor" - Photo by Louis Trapani

The Gallifreyan Embassy would usually take WLIW (the Long Island PBS station that showed Doctor Who at the time) by storm during their pledge drives volunteering during their British science-fiction line up nights. Here is the gang back in the '80s in this classic black and white photo by Keith. From left to right is the "Anti-Doctor" (Chase), Louis, Andrea, Denise, Pete "Bug", Ken, Brian (standing behind Ken), PJ, Rob (all the way in the back), Al, Amy (next to PJ), Tim (front seated), and Keith himself (standing). Thank you Keith for allowing us to share this photo.